Hollamoor Farm

Barnstaple, Devon

If you are after the ultimate peaceful, rural, romantic and relaxing experience, you should stay at Hollamoor Bed and Breakfast in North Devon. It is a 300-year-old, charming farmhouse B&B, situated deep in the heart of the beautiful, Devon countryside, in its own valley; many animals, birds, fowl and ducks live in the garden and beyond.

Sir Bourchier and Lady Caroline Wrey are very warm hosts, always greeting their bed and breakfast guests with a tea tray and home-made chocolate brownies. The property came into their family in 1640 when Sir Bourchier's ancestor married the Earl of Bath's only daughter. With her came a beautiful mansion and a very large estate.

All dogs, horses and children are welcome at Hollamoor. You can amble freely over their own valleys, encapsulating open fields, prolific hedgerows, ancient farm tracks, pretty woodlands, peaceful lakes and easy hills. You can even book a horse riding lesson. This place is easy to find with your satnav or else the directions are faultless.

The beautiful bed and breakfast rooms mix classic and contemporary decoration and furniture. In May and June, the roses are at their best, tumbling over many walls with their evocative scent. The breakfasts are substantial and include home-made granola, farm eggs and locally baked bread; there are plenty of vegetarian choices.

The kitchen also serves fabulous organic fine dining dinners for a minimum of 4 persons, with most ingredients procured from George and Caroline's North Devon fields, woods, hedges and garden. Whether you have come for a holiday, coastal walking, a biking trip, golf, an equestrian getaway (bring your own horses) or a family visit, Barnstaple (with its marvellous markets), the beaches, the coastal paths, the golf courses, the beautiful gardens, the National Trust houses and Exmoor are all nearby, as are the pretty North Devon, seaside villages with great pubs, cafes, ice-creams and brass bands in the summer.